Fish Tales » singlish http://fishdoggy.com And then some. Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:17:33 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 Speak Singlish, Lah? http://fishdoggy.com/2009/05/25/speak-singlish-lah/ http://fishdoggy.com/2009/05/25/speak-singlish-lah/#comments Mon, 25 May 2009 11:31:02 +0000 Greg Fisher http://fishdoggy.com/?p=851 Many Singapore locals end their sentences with the word ‘lah’ and it completely threw me the first time I heard someone say it.  What does ‘lah’ mean? 

Since then, I’ve learned that ‘lah’ is part of a local dialect affectionately known as Singlish. It’s a mix of English, Malay, Cantonese and several other languages and it also includes American slang commonly found in TV and movies. Essentially, ‘lah’ is used to soften the force of a statement while also encouraging solidarity. It’s commonly used to modify a verb into a command, especially when the verb may seem impolite. But, conversely, ‘lah’ can also be used to emphasize power and express annoyance, when stressed.

A few examples:

  • Okay, lah
  • I dun have, lah
  • No can do, lah
  • Not my fault, lah
     

Recently I saw an advertisement posted near a bus stop shelter including the word. Funny, lah?

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